Members of the Disney Employee Choir form the "Living Christmas Tree" during the dress rehearsal of Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

About Candlelight Ceremony

Tickets for seats for the 40 performances over 20 nights of this year's performances were distributed via lottery to annual passholders.

Anyone visiting Disneyland now through Dec. 20 can watch the show, but only by standing around the perimeter of the seating area, or on Main Street U.S.A. while the choir sings carols while walking on the street to the stage next to the train station.

ANAHEIM – If you look closely at the "Living Christmas Tree" that is the centerpiece of Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony, you might recognize some of the singers as someone who might have been your Jungle Cruise skipper. That's because the tree is made up entirely of members of the Disney Employee Choir, and has been so since 1982.

"In September, when we start practicing, I get into the Christmas spirit and it's a wonderful thing," said Vinnie D'Amore, a tenor who works on the technology of Disney's Feature Animation group.

The choir was formed in 1972, when several Disneyland employees expressed a desire to perform in the ceremony, which traces its roots to the first Christmas at Disneyland. Originally, the massive more than 600-voice choir was made up from several local high schools, colleges and other local choirs.

"The cast choir provides a stable choral sound as well as exemplary commitment to the show," said Nancy Sulahian, the show's conductor.

Employees from Disney's West Coast operations go through an audition process. Once selected, they attend at least six regional rehearsals as well as a full rehearsal with all 390 volunteer singers from throughout the company. Finally, the group sings at a dress rehearsal, which took place Thursday night.

"This is our family. People come back year after year," said Jackie Gilhausen, a 24-year employee who voluntarily organizes the choir every year.

The singers are led during rehearsals by a cheerful Jim Wilber, a retired educator who also led an honor choir where he taught.

"It's important to make sure they have a good time while doing it, but still make the music beautiful and the way it was intended to sound.

The sopranos, altos, tenors and basses find different songs hardest to sing.

"The song I thought was toughest to learn was 'Sing Noel," said Kathy Rossi, a soprano and 33-year employee who has been in the choir that entire time.

Members of the Disney Employee Choir form the "Living Christmas Tree" during the dress rehearsal of Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Jim Wilber directs the rehearsal of members of the Disney Employee Choir. This rehearsal in early November is made up of Disney employees that work at Disney facilities such as Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering in the cities of Burbank and Glendale. The rehearsal took place at the Salem Lutheran Church in Glendale. The choir makes up part of the larger choir in Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony that takes place during the holiday season. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Chris Thompson, a candy maker at Disneyland, plays the piano while Jim Wilber conducts Disney employees rehearsing their Christmas hymns as members of the Disney Employee Choir that takes part in Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony. Employees at this rehearsal inside Glendale's Salem Lutheran Church work at Disney offices in Burbank and Glendale. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Disney employees rehearse Christmas carols under the direction of Jim Wilber inside Glendale's Salem Lutheran Church their Christmas songs as members of the Disney Employee Choir that takes part in Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Choir director Jim Wilber emphasizes a note while leading Disney employees from the company's Burbank and Glendale offices through the rehearsal of Christmas hymns that are part of Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony every Christmas. The employees are members of the Disney Employee Choir that takes part in Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Chris Thompson plays the keyboard as accompaniment while Jim Wilber directs during a rehearsal with members of the Disney Employee Choir that takes part in Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony every year. . MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Jim Wilber conducts Disneyland employees during a rehearsal of Christmas carols at the Paradise Pier Hotel. The employees make up part of the Disney Employee Choir that takes part in Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony every year. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Jim Wilber focuses on the men during a rehearsal at the Paradise Pier Hotel. The men are part of the Disney Employee Choir that takes part in Disneyland's annual Candlelight Ceremony. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Jim Wilber conducts Disneyland employees during a rehearsal of Christmas carols at the Paradise Pier Hotel. The employees make up part of the Disney Employee Choir that takes part in Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony every year. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
These Disney employees are part of the more than 390-voice rDisney Employee Choir that takes part in Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony in 2012. The employees volunteer their time to take part in the choir because of their love of singing. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Disney employees from all over Southern California join together at the First United Methodist Church of Orange for the first full rehearsal of Christmas Carols. The more than 390 voices volunteer their time to take part as members of the Disney Employee Choir that perform in Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Disney employees from the Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney Imagineering and the Walt Disney Studios rehearse Christmas carols they will sing as members of the Disney Employee Choir that takes part in Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony. Playing the piano for the rehearsal at the First United Methodist Church in Orange is Chris Thompson, a candy maker at the Disneyland Resort. Leading the more than 300 voices in the choir through the rehearsal is Jim Wilber. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A view of the more than 390 voices rehearsing Christmas carols they will sing as members of the Disney Employee Choir that takes part in Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony. The rehearsal took place at the First United Methodist Church in Orange. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Bill Rogers, the official voice of Disneyland, narrates the Christmas Story during a rehearsal of the Candlelight Ceremony at Disneyland. Behind Rogers is part of the Disney Employee Choir, made up of company employees who volunteer to sing in the ceremony every year. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Disney employees rehearse their Christmas Carols during dress rehearsal of the Candlelight Ceremony at Disneyland as members of the Disney Employee Choir that takes part in the theme park's annual holiday ceremony. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Angela Roth, with members of the Disney Employee Choir, rehearses her sign language interpretation of their singing during the dress rehearsal of the Candlelight Ceremony at Disneyland. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Conductor Nancy Sulahian leads the Disney Employee Choir during a dress rehearsal of Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony, two nights before the first performance for the public. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Michael Chik is in a wheelchair and is a longtime member of the Disney Employee Choir, which sings in the Disneyland Candlelight Ceremony every year. The choir was singing its carols at a dress rehearsal two nights before the first of 40 performances scheduled over 20 days at the theme park. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Members of the Disney Employee Choir form the "Living Christmas Tree" during the dress rehearsal of Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Members of the Disney Employee Choir are led in their singing of Christmas Carols for the Disneyland Candlelight Ceremony during a dress rehearsal by Nancy Sulahian, who conducts nearly 600 voices during the performance, along with soloists and a full orchestra. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Members of the Disney Employee Choir carefully make their way onto the risers for the rehearsal of the Candlelight Ceremony at Disneyland. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Disney Employee Choir rehearse their Christmas hymns during dress rehearsal for the Disneyland Candlelight Ceremony two nights before the first performance. The choir is made up of employees of Disneyland, the Disney Studio, Walt Disney Imagineering and other west coast based segments of the Walt Disney Company. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Disney Employee Choir, with electric candles in their hands, take their places on "The Living Christmas Tree" for their part in Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony Saturday night. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Disney Employee Choir is the centerpiece as "The Living Christmas Tree" during Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony in Town Square of Main Street U.S.A. The choir is made up of current and former employees of the Walt Disney Company and performs at all the Candlelight shows with a full orchestra, choirs from other schools, churches and other groups, and the Disneyland Herald Trumpeteers. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Dennis Haysbert, an actor and spokesperson for Allstate Insurance, was the narrator for Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony's two performances Saturday night. The Disney Employee choir and other southland choirs sing hymns while Haysbert tells the story of Christmas during the moving ceremony. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Nancy Sulahian conducts the orchestra and the Disney Employee Choir during Saturday night's performance of Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony. The ceremony features the choir, 600 voices made up of the Disney Employee Choir and other southland choirs, a full orchestra, bell ringers, the Disneyland Herald Trumpeteers and a guest celebrity narrator who tells the story of Christmas. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Disneyland's Herald Trumpeters, atop the Main Street Station of the Disneyland Railroad, herald the start of the Disneyland Candlelight Ceremony, below them as "The Living Christmas Tree" is the Disney Employee Choir, an all-volunteer group which has sung at every ceremony since 1972. MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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